Thursday, May 08, 2008

I'd just gotten my morning wordcount done when my Mom called. I'm meeting her for Mother's Day tomorrow night and I'll be housesitting again for her friend in a couple of weeks (but I don't have to stay overnight this time). Catsitting for MY friend starting tomorrow.

Anyway, yesterday wasn't too good. I worked on a scene then decided it shouldn't be in the book so spent the afternoon fretting about it and reading The Hollow, by Nora Roberts. Had some strange publishing business that I had to deal with which I can't talk about (may never be able to talk about it, sorry) and some conversations with friends who got hit by the same inept copy editor and ended up sending their entire mss. back loaded with "stets" (leave it like it is) and changes.

Anyway that was yesterday. Feeling better about the work because I opened up the scene again, wanted to end it quick so I could archive it for the website, kept writing and it went somewhere I didn't know it would/could and I think it needs to stay in.

Writing Fantasy:In my own books, both series, I try to show you how Flair or Power works, how MAGIC works. This is a given for me. Here you see the heroine practicing her magic, and the hero doing his, and, btw, here is some more info about the planet. Sometimes it feels slow to write, but I really think that readers need to see that my h/h are competent people. And if I'm depending on these powers in some crises, climax in the end, the readers need to see it before to believe it. So though it may slow down the books, this set up is ALWAYS there.

In The Hollow, by Nora Roberts, I wanted more. More use of the heroine's powers, and seeing her acceptance of them more, so I was left slightly dissatisfied. That's me as a reader, so that may be, again, why I personally spend more time on the magic. I always worry if it is slowing my plot down.

BTW, if you aren't familiar with my site, I think there's an additional scene from Heart Thief that I cut showing a courtroom (JudgementGrove) case that Ailim adjudicates that didn't need to be in the book.

I've been hearing from readers regarding the website update and the contest for the ARC of Heart Fate, and it's been very gratifying. Thank you.